as in mistake
an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy
played the entire piano piece without a single fumble
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to blow
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
her assistant fumbled the party plans by getting the time wrong on the invitations
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to grope
to search for something blindly or uncertainly
the librarian fumbled for the light switch as she entered the dark room
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to stumble
to make a mistake
just when it looked like he was going to get away with the ruse, he fumbled
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of fumble
Alexandra Pereira, Travel + Leisure, 12 Mar. 2026
McDuffie has defended 34 passes, made two interceptions and forced eight fumbles in 56 career regular-season games.
—ABC News, 12 Mar. 2026
Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
And there’s no wiggle room for Miami to fumble two games against Washington and one on Sunday at Indiana, where the Heat was demolished earlier this season.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fumble
Noun
Awkward bathroom stall fumbles aside (and that’s only really a grind when in layers), a jumpsuit is such a practical must-have for any wide-ranging trip.
—Alexandra Pereira, Travel + Leisure, 12 Mar. 2026
McDuffie has defended 34 passes, made two interceptions and forced eight fumbles in 56 career regular-season games.
—ABC News, 12 Mar. 2026
Verb
Last season’s Detroit Tigers endured the worst divisional collapse in history, fumbling an AL Central lead that reached 15 1/2 games in July.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
And there’s no wiggle room for Miami to fumble two games against Washington and one on Sunday at Indiana, where the Heat was demolished earlier this season.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fumble
Noun
-
There were almost too many mistakes to count.—
Jeffrey Eugenides,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2026
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Getting your taxes done early can help reduce stress, avoid last-minute mistakes, and give you more time to fix any issues, such as missing forms or incorrect personal information.—
Alora Bopray,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
1 Apr. 2026
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Pitchers and batters are both worse than a coin-flip at issuing challenges – blown calls in a matter of seconds.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Two more women said staff members groped them or touched them inappropriately.—
Erik Ortiz,
NBC news,
27 Mar. 2026
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Cannon starred in a production of Sweet Bird of Youth at the Old Vic in 2013 and claims Spacey groped him at a party after the play’s press night.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Hunters exploring in a remote section of the 500,000-acre Pisgah National Forest stumbled onto a body in the dark, according to investigators in western North Carolina.—
Mark Price
April 5,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Apr. 2026
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In the clip, the two actors stumble backwards into the glass before falling through and out of the frame.—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Milwaukee challenged the play, and the replay clearly showed Bauers stepped on first, causing another blunder for Bucknor.—
Jason Ounpraseuth,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
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In the second inning, well before his ninth-inning blunder, Burger fumbled an infield pop-up from García with two outs.—
Shawn McFarland,
Dallas Morning News,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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With attackers on both shoulders, Dengler could only tap the ball back to Andema in net, forcing Andema to scramble and desperately boot the ball upfield.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
5 Apr. 2026
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Earlier this week, the striking WGAW staff discovered that they would be booted off their health insurance plans effective April 1.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The coach often looks at those basketball stickers affixed over a block M at each player's locker.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
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Niche looked at suburban cities and towns as well as neighborhoods in big metro areas like Charlotte.—
Chase Jordan
March 30,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The explosion tripped two electrical boxes not far away, Smith said, causing wires to detach from a power pole, which fell onto a minivan that became engulfed in flames.—
Jason Rantala,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
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The unwanted genetic material vanishes without a trace, which is what kept tripping scientists up for decades.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fumble. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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